1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment for a feed auger in a combine header or the like. More particularly, the invention relates to providing a resilient attachment mounted on and extending radially from the central drum portion of the feed auger about its fingers and between its spiral flights.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional feed augers for combine headers comprise a cylindrical drum mounted at its ends to the header for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the drum. Spiral flights are mounted on the drum adjacent its opposite ends for conveying material towards its central drum portion. A plurality of feed fingers are mounted in the drum and extend radially from the central drum portion for conveying vegetation toward the throat of the combine header. The fingers reciprocate radially in and out of the drum as the drum rotates. Typical examples of such augers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,634 to Carroll and U.S. Pat. No. 2,748,921 to White.
The principal problem in using conventional feed augers is the accumulation of vegetation on the central drum portion of the auger. During use, the accumulation of vegetation tends to clog the auger requiring the operator to shut down the combine and manually remove the vegetation from the auger central drum portion. Additionally, minor accumulations of vegetation insufficient to clog the auger dislodge the crop from the vines in the header, causing loss of the cash crop. The fingers, as well as the bolts, access doors and other protruding features on the central drum portion tend to catch the vegetation and cause the accumulation. Attempts to prevent the accumulation of vegetation on the central drum portion of the auger have involved cutting or stripping the vegetation from the fingers. Typical devices for stripping or cutting the vegetation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,483 to Nikkel and U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,259 to Parvin et al.
Other problems associated with the use of conventional feed augers involve poor feeding of the vegetation and crop to the combine header throat and protection of the drum. Conventional augers have no central and effective mechanism for compensating for varying flow rates of vegetation under the auger. A high volume of vegetation tends to cause flare up, while a low volume of vegetation results in insufficient pressure being applied to the vegetation such that it may not reach the combine throat. The hard surface of the conventional auger central drum portion tends to crush and damage the crop or dislodge it from the vines causing the crop to fall to the ground rather than being fed to the combine throat. Since the conventional combine central drum portion is exposed, it is not protected from damage caused by debris picked up by the header, for example, rocks.